Sacramento Kings Preseason Media Presser (2022-2023)

[NOLa.]

Good morning and welcome everyone to another edition of the Sacramento Kings' preseason media presser! As always, we'll start with summarizing the prior season, commenting on the offseason, and finish off with our goals for the new season.

Last season was a mixed bag for us. We had an excellent prior offseason that allowed us to build a team that was heavily focused on shooting the ball from the 3-point line and made one trade to bring in Tobias Harris from the Pacers in exchange for a future pick, points and salary. The team really clicked early and we finished with 64 wins, our 4th highest win total in franchise history, and added another division trophy to the trophy case and finished first in the West. The stage and we were primed to make it to the Finals.

Then Kevin Love happened.

The ageless 7th wonder of the world has been a thorn on our side since the 2008 season, and the 2021-2022 season was no exception. The Suns pushed us in the division until the very end, but ultimately got the better of us when it mattered most. I had no shame in dropping a series against the well-ran Phoenix Suns, but I felt the squad severely under-performed.

We went into the offseason knowing either Tobias Harris or Kyrie Irving needed to come off the books in order to reset the tax years for us. We were able to send Kyrie to the Grizzlies for a draft pick in the current year and the following season. Our fax machine broke during RFA. We struck out in UFA round 1 and made one last attempt at an important piece we absolutely needed: Bismack Biyombo. We were fortunate to pick him up on a 1-year deal to pair him with developing center Erik Haynes. We were bullied down low by some of the better teams in the league, and feel Biyombo will help rebound the ball and defend inside the paint.

Training camp did not go so well for us. Notably, Duren really seemed to take a significant step back. All of our veteran signings, sans Biyombo, showed their age and regressed. Our first round pick JaVonte Smart took a step back. If it was not for Erik Haynes and Donovan Mitchell having another promising camp, this would have been an epic disaster for our squad.

Our starting rotation may not change unless a trade were to happen:

C: Erik Haynes
PF: Bismack Biyombo
SF: Tobias Harris
SG: Donovan Mitchell
PG: Jeffrey Duren

Floor is open for questions.

[ballsohard]

First off, i wanted to say sorry about Duren’s camp. It sucks. Secondly, there’;s a lot of reason to be excited in Sacto despite this somber-ish presser. Haynes/ duren/ Mitchell are as formidable of a big 3 as the league has seen. Can you talk about who you except to be your MIP? Your 6th man and your MVP?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[NOLa.]

First off, i wanted to say sorry about Duren’s camp. It sucks. Secondly, there’;s a lot of reason to be excited in Sacto despite this somber-ish presser. Haynes/ duren/ Mitchell are as formidable of a big 3 as the league has seen. Can you talk about who you except to be your MIP? Your 6th man and your MVP?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thank you for the kind words! We understand the dreaded TC monster is an enemy to everyone and it holds no bias.

This might come off as a surprise, but I can honestly see Erik Haynes being the MVP of the team. Duren may have taken a step back and looked sluggish during preseason, but I don't suspect he will drop too much in production. Haynes has a real chance of being the dominant big we know he can be since we drafted him.

For MIP, I have to go with Donovan Mitchell. This is his first opportunity to be a full-time starter with no competition for his position, and I feel his skill set will shine and some will be surprised (although listening to Horns and Fangs, Raby and Josh gave him very solid shout-out as a young prospect which was great to hear!)

6th man is a lot more cloudy. Training camp really took its toll on the backup veterans and I'll be the first to say this is not a deep squad like I've had in prior seasons. Hopefully Cousins and Lawson can fill in when needed and contribute a solid 15-ish minutes a game.

[Eazy P]

Who in the pacific poses the biggest threat to the kings winning the division and why?

[NOLa.]

Who in the pacific poses the biggest threat to the kings winning the division and why?

The Phoenix Suns have had a constant stretch of great runs in the regular season and playoffs for several seasons now, and although Kevin Love is showing signs of his age, he is still an elite All NBA player. The Suns will be my biggest challenge in the regular season and maybe even in the playoffs, that's how much respect I have for the franchise and Kevin Love as a player.

[Xist2Inspire]

Do you foresee yourself having to make a trade early on to solidify a top spot in the West, or is this more of a "relax and re-evaluate" kind of season?

[NOLa.]

Do you foresee yourself having to make a trade early on to solidify a top spot in the West, or is this more of a "relax and re-evaluate" kind of season?

Definitely a relax and re-evaluate type of season. I feel Haynes and Mitchell have grown into the types of players you would normally trade for to put your team over, so a lot is riding on them. I hope I'm right, but if needed I can see if a trade makes sense. I'm always open to making a trade if it can help my team so if a team were to reach out, I will listen, but I don't see myself going out of my way to make that trade just yet.

[WigNosy]

The Kings have as much talent in the starting lineup as any team in the league but there are whispers your depth might be a concern. Do you feel depth is a valid concern for your squad?

[NOLa.]

The Kings have as much talent in the starting lineup as any team in the league but there are whispers your depth might be a concern. Do you feel depth is a valid concern for your squad?

It's a big concern for me, and almost ironic. Two seasons ago I had little depth and suffered multiple injuries before and during the playoffs and the lack of depth proved too much. Last season I had depth and no injuries in the playoffs, and the depth did not help as we got pushed aside by the talented Suns. Training camp was cruel to the vets just as it was to everyone else not named Horford.

We are hopeful the starting lineup can remain healthy and play well. I like our chances in the Pacific and in the West, but against the East we will struggle.

[garbageman]

How do you think having a player like Bismack Biyombo on your team will influence your game planning over last year?

[NOLa.]

How do you think having a player like Bismack Biyombo on your team will influence your game planning over last year?

Having Biyombo on the team will allow me to move Harris from the PF to SF spot and gives someone to help Haynes down low in the block. I went small ball last season, so having Biyombo on the team with his excellent rebounding, defense and strength is a huge get. I was very happy to sign him.

We look forward to his championship experience he got with your Bulls and hope he can help steer us in that direction.

[Darth Vegito]

I think we all expect Love to finally take some kind of step back this year and not be able to carry the Phoenix carcass very far. This division is yours for the taking. How badly do you need actual teams that can compete with you and do you think we should just combined the Pacific and Southwest divisions? Do you think the lack of competitiveness is harmful to the league?

[NOLa.]

I think we all expect Love to finally take some kind of step back this year and not be able to carry the Phoenix carcass very far. This division is yours for the taking. How badly do you need actual teams that can compete with you and do you think we should just combined the Pacific and Southwest divisions? Do you think the lack of competitiveness is harmful to the league?

Man with the way it’s looking, we could combine the Pacific and the Southwest and we would still talk about how bad a division it is and if we should contract. The thing is it won’t always be like that. I see the Spurs building a team that will be dominant for years to come, the Grizz will sooner or later get out of the tax, and the Lakers have so much talent that an active GM can really push for the division now.

The inactivity is a downer. The West used to be a battleground, and the East has slowly turned the tides. Activity is the driving force here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk